Luk
21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted
worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to
stand before the Son of man.

BI-(Bible
Illustrator);

Watching

I.
ITS PECULIAR CHARACTER. The very quintessence of all faith; the very
reason why faith is necessary for the true life.
The soul in which burns the light of faith looks forward, and by
looking forward is helped to step forward, expecting some strange yet
true results. The will is strengthened to assert
itself, sometimes on ventures which appear without foundation, but
which are based upon the reality of what is to come. So the
Christian can go forward with confidence and security.

1.
From the call of Abraham to the present day,
the supreme attitude of God’s
children has been that of expectancy.

2.
Just as the Israelites looked for the first coming of the Messiah, so
Christians look for the second coming in power and great glory.

II.
THE ESSENTIAL BENEFITS OF WATCHING.

1.
It is a power which, though often latent and unobserved, is
still a power of incalculable force. The unknown reserve
of spiritual influence which lies at the root of the sincerely
Christian character.

2.
The watcher is always ready. No haziness about
life, or uncertainty about its aims. (Anon.)

Watchfulness-

NOTE:
The following is the deepest , most profound words I have read
concerning the word. It is mind baffling, read and re- read the
following, in it, there is much meat and illumination. The words are
full of instruction as to practical realities. They vividly present
to us in figurative forms the actual condition of the soul in
reference to spiritual dangers. In the following there is given
different scenarios concerning a Christian as a watchmen, as all
christians should be. You will read how to watch, what to watch, and
what not to watch.

See
that sentry at the gate of an encampment or a fortress—mark his
measured tread, his martial port, his anxious thought determined
countenance—his quiet and searching glance, as he repeats his
constant walk—that soldier is awake; but
he is more—he is upon his guard—his mind is full of
his important trust—he feels the weight of his responsibility. But
see—his frame becomes relaxed, his form grows less erect, his
movements lose their regular mechanical succession—his
look is vacant or abstracted, he no
longer looks afar off and at hand in search of approaching danger, he
has either forgotten it, or ceased to reckon it so imminent.

And
yet the man is wide awake; not only are his eyes still open, but they
see surrounding objects; all his senses are still active, andhis
mind, though distracted from his present duty, is as much at work as
ever; for no sooner does the
slightest sound arouse him, than, as if by magic, he recovers his
position and the tension of his muscles, he resumes his measured
walk, his mingled air of circumspection and defiance, and his
look of bold but anxious scrutiny. Even before, he was awake; but now
he is awake and at the same time on his guard.

Precisely
the same difference exists between a simple wakefulness in spiritual
matters—a wakefulness of understanding, conscience, and affection,
and the active exercise of spiritual vigilance; this is impossible
without the other, but the other does not necessarily involve this.
In both cases, that is, in the literal and spiritual case supposed,
there is a sensible gradation of remissness or the opposite. We
have seen the sentry wholly losing for a moment the recollection of
his solemn trust; but this is not the only way in which he may
unconsciously betray it.

Look
at him again. Every look, every motion, now betokens concentration
of his thoughts and feelings on the danger which impends, and against
which he is set to watch. Perhaps he is now motionless, but it is
only that his eye may be more steadfastly fixed upon the point from
which the enemy’s approach is apprehended. In that point his whole
being seems to be absorbed.

And
you can see at a glance that he is ready, even for the first and
faintest intimation of a moving object on that dim horizon. But while
he stands like a statue, with his face turned towards that dreaded
point, look beyond him and behind him, at those forms which are
becoming every moment more and more defined against the opposite
quarter of the heavens. He hears them not, because their step is
noiseless; he sees them not, because his eye and all his faculties
are employed in an opposite direction.

While
he strains every sense to catch the first intimations of approaching
danger, it is creeping stealthily behind him, and when at last his
ear distinguishes the tramp of armed men, it is too late, for a
hostile hand is already on his shoulder, and if his life is spared,
it is only to be overpowered and disarmed without resistance.

And
yet that soldier was not only awake, but on his guard—his whole
being was absorbed in contemplation of the danger which impended;
but, alas, he viewed it as impending only from one quarter, and lost
sight of it as really approaching from another.

We
may even suppose that he was right in looking where he did, and only
wrong in looking there exclusively. There was an enemy to be expected
from that quarter, and if this had been the only one, the sentry’s
duty would have been successfully performed; but
he was not aware, or had forgotten,
that the danger was a complex one—that while the enemy
delayed his coming, another might be just at hand, and thus the
very concentration of his watchfulness on one point defeated its own
purpose, by withdrawing his attention from all others.

By
a slight shifting in the scene, I might present to you the same man
or another, gazing not at one point only, but at all; sweeping the
whole visible horizon with his eye as he maintains his martial vigil.
See with what restless activity his looks pass from one distant point
to another, as if resolved that nothing shall escape him, that no
imaginable source of danger shall remain unwatched. That man
might seem to be in every sense awake and on his guard—surprise
might seem to be impossible—but hark! what sound is that which
suddenly disturbs him in his solitary vigils?he looks hastily around him, but sees
nothing, yet the sound is growing every moment louder and more
distinct; “a voice of noise from the city”—“the
voice of them that shout for mastery”—“the voice of them that
cry for being overcome”! Doubt is no
longer possible—it is—it is behind him—yes, the
enemy for whom he looked so vigilantly, is within the walls, and
the banner which he thought to have seen waving at a distance, is
floating in triumph just above his head.

The
cases which I have supposed are not mere appeals to your imagination.
They are full of instruction as to practical realities. They vividly
present to us in figurative forms the actual condition of the soul in
reference to spiritual dangers. (J. A. Alexander, D. D.)

Reader
if you did not get some serious insight from the text above, I do not
know what to say. Some are not ready for meat, but milk, that is the
way we grow step by step as Disciples of Christ Jesus, the School of
Christ. This is serious meat.

I
will give a few others now.

JFB:

Luke
21:36

Watch
... pray, etc. — the two great duties which in prospect of trial
are constantly enjoined. These warnings,
suggested by the need of preparedness for the tremendous calamities
approaching, and the total wreck of the existing state
of things, are the general improvement of the whole discourse,
carrying the mind forward to Judgment and Vengeance of another kind
and on a grander and more awful scale - not ecclesiastical or
political but personal, not temporal but eternal - when all safety
and blessedness will be found to lie in being able to “STAND BEFORE
THE SON OF MAN” in the glory of His personal appearing.

RWP;

Luke
21:36

But
watch ye (agrupneite de). Agrupneō is a late verb to be sleepless
(a privative and hupnos, sleep). Keep awake and be ready is the
pith of Christ’s warning.

That
ye may prevail to escape (hina katischusēte ekphugein).
First aorist active subjunctive with hina of purpose. The verb
katischuō means to have strength against (cf. Mat_16:18).
Common in later writers. Ekphugein is second aorist active
infinitive, to escape out.

Chuck
Smith;

The
Lord's command to His church to watch.

and
pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these
things ( Luk_21:36 )

All
what things? These things of God's judgment that will be coming to
pass upon the earth as there are the signs and the sun and the moon
and the stars and the heaven shaken, and the earthquakes and the
pestilences and the famines... "pray
that you'll be accounted worthy to escape all of these things."

that
shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man ( Luk_21:36 ).

H.Meyer;

ἑκφυγεῖν
κ.τ.λ.] to escape from all this,
etc., i.e. in all the perilous circumstances
whose occurrence I have announced to you as preceding the Parousia
(from Luk_21:8 onward), to deliver your life, which is to be
understood in the higher meaning of Luk_21:19.

Luk
21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.

PHC:

Luk_21:36.
Accounted worthy.—A better reading
is “prevail”—“that ye may prevail to escape”
(R.V.)—i.e., be in a condition to escape.

This
is key to understanding the first message posted about worthy, it is
not so much to be worthy as we may think. Many have read this and
still do daily, because most are scared to death, 'I hope I am
worthy, how do I know I a worthy, what do I do, not do, I am afraid I
am not worthy'. This worthy seeking is honestly as you just read
not worthy as you may think, but prevail.

The
condition to escape for some is, all must be in watching and must
prevail in watching and prayer. Like Jacob who wrestled with the
Angel of the Lord and would not let go, he was told because you have
striven with God and man and have prevailed, your name is now Israel,
not Jacob. His past as a deceiver, now a change in name pointing to
greatness in the site of God.

Luk
18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought
always to pray, and not to faint;

We
are in times that no one has seen, thus much speculation, thoughts,
fear of aboding, and pending doom are on many. The BI, I said was
deep, in one part spoke of a watchman that new what was, he was
fully awake, and did not concern himself with what danger is to come.
But at the first sound of danger, he was not in a relaxed position ,
but asap, was tight, ready, and taking his ground.

That
is profound, so many, I have been at fault on this, get so into what
happens daily, trying to figure out when ww3 will be, what will start
it, when the dollar and euro will collapse, when prophetic events
will happen, when America will be under full Judgment and Martial law
and captivity will come.

I
have said before, it is still true today. I do not watch the news,
not even alternative news daily, as I do not need a Play by Play of
the horror show, this is what the example was. I am awake, many of
you are, now that we are awake, our watching takes a different stand,
it is care free, but not careless. We will be, and are now
spiritually prepared, we are on our holy watch tower, sounding
the alarm, but not in alarm our self's.

Many
so called Watchmen sound the alarm but only to put you in fear so
they can sell a book, a DVD, a product, fear makes sales. that
is 100% not bible, it's like the spies sent out to spy the land, only
two had a good report the rest had a bad report and that bad report
rushed into all the others and the day of
crossing in never came. This
is wrong, wrong, wrong. A watchman , someone awake, can talk of
the horror and be fearless. I have come to the place that I must
tell people, " look I do not want to be in fear ,but...",

If
I am talking to a Christian, I always speak hope, and faith in Jesus.
When speaking to a A person that is a non Christian, even an enemy of
the cross, I apply what the Epistle of Jude says;

Jud
1:22 And of some have compassion,
making a difference:

Jud
1:23 And others save with fear,
pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the
flesh.

I
repeat what I wrote above;

We
will be, and are now spiritual prepared, on our holy watch tower,
sounding the alarm, but not in alarm our self's.

True
watching at times can allow us to sound the alarm and not be in
alarm. Other times we see, know and we are dismayed, perplexed,
alarmed as Habakkuk was on his watch tower, Ch 3 -he trembled inside
and out concerning what he was shown was coming, now we all have been
there, and at times we take 2 steps backward;

Hab
3:16 When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice:
rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I
might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people,
he will invade them with his troops.

The
very next verses , I mean right after we tremble, as
Wilkerson said in his last Prophecy, 'Even the most Godly among us
will tremble', but after a time, we will have the joy and
Glory of our lord come to us by his grace and we will be able to say.

Hab
3:17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit
be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields
shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and
there shall be no herd in the stalls:

Hab
3:18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my
salvation.

Hab
3:19 The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like
hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To
the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

I
could go on and on with this message, it could turn into a E-Book, so
I will end this message on watching. I pray you have received it as
the lord would have you. Watch, saint of God, watch.